Red Lantern

[iriedanym]

A tribute to the opium den cum bawdyhouses of Shanghai in the 1930’s. Golden amber, blonde tobacco, Sudanese black coconut, rich caramel, black currant, white opium and delphinium laced with a sensual blend of Asian spice.

First sniff: wow! The caramel and black coconut are the top notes that hit my nasal passages. It's sweet, and for the life of me it smells like red velvet cake. My boyfriend even asked if they put cream cheese into the oil.

Wet on skin: Now the traces of amber and tobacco are coming out, but it's not overpowering. Instead, they blend wonderfully with the caramel and coconut. There is quite a bit of throw in just a small dab.

Drydown: Oi, I'm going to need another bottle! This is sultry and mysterious, with the undercurrent of playfulness. It's what I had wished Bordello would have turned out to be on my skin. Definately a 5 out of 5.

[Sheila]

In the bottle, this is SO yummy. It's sweet caramel, but not overwhelming (like Hellcat or Sugar Skull). YUM.

 

On, at first it's caramel, then it's tobacco, then it's opium and floral incense. Where'd the caramel go? I miss it. There's a floral note in here that reminds me of Pink Phoenix (though this is not pink in any way!). What a morpher. I'm not sure if I like it or not--I'll have to give it a few more wears (to various places) before I decide.

[girlmadasbirds]

this is very very nice! the amber, coconut, caramel, and delphinium are strongest with the other notes providing a wonderful smelling background.

absolutely beautiful!

[nancybridget]

This blend is delicious! I'm n love!!! It's rich and tropical and spicy, and exotic. Must....have....bottle.....

[happythermia]

I think I'm the first to not really like it. :/

 

In the bottle it reminds me strongly of Yankee candle. Sage and Citrus scent and really buttery caramel. On my skin it smells... much like another Yankee candle. I can't for the life of me recall which one. It turns a very generic candley sweet spice on me. Then after a couple hours it goes very faint and smells like something between sweet hazelnut coffee and rum caramel.

 

I think Cagedflame had it exactly right. I couldn't think of what it smelled like - all I knew is that it smelled like there was too much going on.

Its like that headachey smell-feeling-thing that I get when I go to Yankee Candle.

 

Too bad! It is my first imp. Better luck next time, I hope

[yeahbutnobut]

Red Lantern

 

In the bottle: sweet, creamy caramel, with a hint of something floral-either the opium or delphinium?

Wet on skin: now the tobacco and hints of opium start to appear in the sugary sweetness.

Dry on skin: wow, it has changed dramatically. No longer the sweet sticky caramel it was before (though hints of it stick around), the scent now really reminds me of incense. Almost like headshop joss-stick incense but much nicer…it's almost like sandalwood or something floral and Asian. I think it's good quality opium incense, and it's gorgeous. It's got floral aspects to it, a little bit of spice, and a smoky tobacco base, with lighter notes of coconut and amber floating on top, and still a bit of caramel…but it's not the really foody sweet scent I was expecting. This smells sophisticated and mysterious. It also reminds me of a shop near mine that sells trinkets and objects from India and the Middle East and Far East, and there's always incense burning there (and also hookah pipes)…and it smells a bit like this, only this scent is much more interesting with many dimensions.

After a while: the spicy tobacco scent is a bit stronger now, nice and darkly smoky, but with a lovely layer of coconut, a floral note (delphinium?) and a hint of sweet amber lingering over it.

The scent fades nicely with a scent of sweet tobacco and incense with hints of amber and coconut, after a few hours the tobacco scent faintly lingers with the dry sweetness of toasted coconut.

Verdict: this one far surpassed my expectations. I'm not usually keen on opium scents (they are either chokingly smoky or 'posh perfume-y' on me) and caramel can be very hit or miss, and the reviews before mentioned that this scent was very foody to many. But not to me. No, this scent was so much more wonderful than I expected. After starting off with a scent of slightly floral caramel, as soon as the scent dried, it changed instantly from something foody to a wonderful incense scent. I've noticed that many of the Lupercalia scents have a woody/sweet incense-like feel to them (Khajuraho and the Perfumed Garden were like that) and this one is no exception. It was a delightful smoky, spicy and floral incense scent with something reminiscent of sandalwood, as well as a lovely floral note, a hint of light coconut and sweet amber and with a dark, deep, tobacco background. The drydown is a lovely smoky tobacco with hints of amber and coconut. This is a very exotic, sensual scent with mystique and allure to it. It is also reminiscent of my local 'treasures and trinkets' shop which sells trinkets from exotic parts of the world, where the scent of hookah pipes and joss sticks lingers but this scent is so much better and has many dimensions. Beth has totally blown me away with these Lupercalia scents-this is just another one that I have fallen for.

[yellowrose]

Beth ... you had me at caramel. I went to the first page to cheat and see what the other notes are supposed to be. They are golden amber, blonde tobacco, Sudanese black coconut, rich caramel, black currant, white opium, delphinium and Asian spice. OK, so I remembered caramel and opium.

 

Source: imp from swap.

 

Handicap: body is recovering from a cold that did include some congestion, therefore, not able to smell anything really well. But this (a couple of days ago while the forum was down, natch) was a good day.

 

In the bottle: sticky caramel. Yum.

 

Initial dab on skin: caramel.

 

Drying: caramel and floral-y plastic. Could be the opium or another note.

 

OK. Red Lantern is a real morpher on me. It goes from sweet to smoky, then back to sweet with a hint of tobacco flower. It's different almost EVERY time I sniff my inner wrist. The plastic note subsides after about 15+ minutes. Thank goodness. The caramel scent dissipates eventually. Hmm? This is unusual.

 

As time progresses, the insinuation is, well, a nice piece of furniture. A pleasant aged wood smell, for lack of a better description. And there is often an underpinning of tobacco.

 

Look for this post to be edited. I plan to post again when all the senses are 110 percent.

 

I do like it and I'm glad I've got a bottle en route.

 

The Latest ... Yup. Red Lantern does morph a LOT. None of the plastic smell this particular time through. However, it's reminding me a LOT of Dia de los Muertos 2004. A LOT. I'm sure that's the result of the sweet-smoky yin yang happening. Still not getting the currant a-tall. Still liking it although it and Dia seem a bit redunant. This is, however, a sweeter scent. -- yr

Edited April 14, 2006 by yellowrose

[feline.by.design]

Red Lantern worried me in the bottle because it smelled buttery. I haven't had good experiences with fragrances that smelled buttery (Milk Moon and Miskatonic University being examples).

 

Thankfully, on my skin, Red Lantern isn't as sweet and far less buttery than in the bottle. It loses a bit of its initial Gourmandie vibe. Rather, the tobacco asserts itself more. It's interesting. Definitely something I'd like to keep around longer.

 

I wore it all day, and it kept quite a good throw. Red Lantern gets the seal of approval.

 

-doreen

[jakey]

Oh dear, so far I am 0 for 2 on these Lupercalia scents. The smell of Red Lantern is divine in the bottle. That uber caramel-ness is so gooey delish, but on me it goes so uber tobacco it's crazy! I smell like a great big walking cigar. Which would be acceptable if I were smoking a cigar, but not on a non-smoking cigar basis. So sad! I adore the label, but can't keep a scent because of that. Pooh!

 

 

I had the exact same experience, unfortunately. Love the caramel in the bottle. On my skin, however: nauseating tobacco. Blecch, get it OFF!!

[mandragora]

In the imp: Hello caramel.

Wet on me: Sweet-smelling caramel with hints of coconut.

Drydown: Coconut takes center stage with the caramel swirling around. Tobacco and spices try to surface every so often and fails. Caramel and coconut pounding them to oblivion.

Verdict: Yummy smelling but not something I would wear.

[BrightRedScream]

In the bottle: Wow, a very warm spicey caramel....I can't say that I smell caramel and ONLY caramel in the bottle because there's definitely something underlying that's got a spicey kick to it. Very nice!!!

 

Wet on the skin: Still VERY caramel...but now a slight hint of coconut...VERY slight though...it's almost unnoticable. I detect a slight floral/smokey fragrence - and I'm guessing that's the delphinium and opium? I'm not sure what those things smell like - so I'm just guessing...these two fragrences start to come out more after dry down.

 

Dry down: This has TONS of throw! I think the opium has really come out now, and it toning down that spicey kick that was in the bottle....It's almost floral on my skin after dry down.

 

Sadly this scent does NOT have a lot of lasting power on me....

I put it on first thing this morning when I head out for work - and by noon it was pretty much gone

 

I like it - but I can't say it's a favorite, and oddly on my skin it wasn't foody at all.

 

I give this a 3/5

[Bagfish]

This is a MOST amazing scent.

 

In the bottle: scary scary 100% caramel, a little like Gluttony or God forbid, Jack. Had I made a mistake in going for this?

 

On wet: The caramel almost instantly fades out and the coconut comes to the fore. This is better. I also get a smokey incensey smell, like tobacco or joss sticks. I don't get much fruit or floral which is a good thing as I can't wear either in any great quantity. I get just enough of both to temper the smoke without ruining the fragrance for me.

 

Dry: This gets better and better. The smokey coconut scent remains and added to that there is a dry down to a similar 'base' scent as what I love about Luperci. I can't see how any of the constituents are the same, but maybe its what Beth used as the basis for the Lupercalia oils. Yeabutnobut also mentions a similar scent in Kajuraho and Perfume Garden. I now want to try those Red Lantern and Luperci have been the Lupercalia hits for me rather than Smut which just didn't work.

 

Verdict on Red Lantern: Absolutely stunning Bravo, Red Lantern is a work of olfactory art

[poisonapple]

Oh I LIKE this one. I got Caramel cookies from my first sniff. I feel bad I get such a homey vibe from a scent based on Asian Red Light district.

 

I don't get any coconut. But I do get the carmel cookies with a wonderful dark undertone. It is spicy on my skin after a dry down. I can still smell the carmel but it takes on a sort of dirty smell to me...

 

And the throw..is amazing...my husband can smell this scent all the way on the other side of the room. I used it in my oil burner and it makes a great house scent too.

 

Love this one!!

[Koumori]

This is a sort of deep musky amber on me. I do like it, very much, but I'm also quite certain that it reminds me of other BPAL scents in my arsenal, like Elegba after the initial rum note has died down a bit, or Devil's Night. I think it's the tobacco/coconut combination. It's a very nice scent, but too similar to too many others for me to really be able to say anything unique about it.

[ViolentKitten]

In the bottle: WHOA! Caramel fudge smothered in desiccated coconut!

 

On my skin, it's really boozy caramel liqueur at first. Very gourmand, almost a little too strong. In fact, I was sniffing it while drinking coffee and I felt like I was drinking a liqueur coffee!

 

About a half hour later - wow, such a drastic change in this one - a delicious muskiness and sweet tobacco dryness comes out. The un-foody amber, delphinium, blonde tobacco and opium mixing together and coming to the fore. It has wonderful throw, but I still keep going in for little up-close sniffs, it's so good.

 

There's other scents that mix gourmand and perfumey musky tobacco notes, though I don't think I've known one with such a sharp contrast as with Red Lantern; but it works, in a deliciously good way.

 

PS. Red Lantern reminds me of Elegba, but less black coconut and there's more of that liqueur and a musky note in Red Lantern. The black coconut doesn't bother me by becoming an odd woodiness like it sometimes can, it's just softly there.

Edited April 1, 2006 by ViolentKitten

[Celestyna]

Very syrupie at first. Like a less sugary, more smooth and amberie sugar skull. But able to be worn not just eaten.

Then it goes down and you're left with it mixed with sort of a nutty, old sexy sort of smell. I reeeally like this one.

[Digital_Hypoxia]

Red Lantern, for me, was a case of falling in like...and then out...in the space of a few weeks.

 

I love Amber. I love coconut. Both ended up overwhelmed by the other notes. It was sweet and astringent, but far too overpowering for me. It had amazing staying power (I must have the most innocuous chemistry--few scents morph on my skin) .

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Primarily caramel, with hints of coconut and tobacco .

Wet on me - Coconut, caramel and a slightly aquatic note, which I'm guessing is the delphinium.

Dry on me - At first it becomes a clean, slightly soapy floral. Then it turns to ashes. Finally the intensity of the opium and the Asian spices comes through, giving a warm glowing sort of scent. I love this dry down, but it took nearly 4 hours to reach this stage.

[harmonyfb]

In the imp, it was sweet...all honey and vanilla (though neither of those are listed as notes, go fig). When I applied it, there was a rush of spicy vanilla scent, and then it began to bloom. Sweetness and the golden notes of amber just amplified on my skin. I thought it smelled lovely, but it's VERY STRONG. A little dab'll do ya, as they say.

 

The amber made me a bit ill after a while, but now it's toned down a bit, so that I can smell the dustiness of tobacco underneath the other fragrance. Very complex scent. I like it, but I'm not sure that it's really me.

[bifemmefatale]

Wow. Beth got this one dead-on. It's sexy as all hell and about as subtle as window-shopping in Amsterdam.

 

It's all caramel coconut at first, like German chocolate cake frosting, rich as sin. Then a bit of the tobacco peeks out, only to be subdued by what I think is sandalwood, because sandalwood often goes soapy on me and this tries to do the same. However, the opium and musk soon emerge and beat it into submission, blending in a fabulous way with the caramel coconut. This has got a big big throw and lots of staying power. I will be hunting down a bottle of this.

[nevermore]

To me, this smells like the bastard love-child of Medicine Show and Snake Charmer - tobacco, wood, amber, coconut and spices. On my skin, it is quite sweet for the first while, but dries down to mostly coconut and tobacco. No florals, surprisingly. It also reminds me somewhat (when dried) of Elegba, but without the rum. This is delicous - I'm so sad I missed it from the lab, but I think I'll have to go and try to track down a bottle in the swaps forum.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Rich creamy, sticky caramel with coconut shreds and golden amber. Distant puffs of smokiness and a slight hint of black currant waft up amidst the candy.

On me: So pretty! Smoky opium and glorious coconut, which is greatly sweetened by caramel and currant. It's deliciously spicy, and perfectly blended. The tobacco really gives it a certain edge that I don't think would be possible otherwise! I really like this one, which surprises me, because Red Lantern was the one fragrance I really had my doubts about.

A very, very complex fragrance. ****

[sissa125]

Red Lantern in the imp: Heady, smoky, sweet, caramelly, cool, fruity, syrupy.

 

Wet on skin: all of the above, then the fruitiness fades and darkness is there

incenses burning on a silver tray, over a plate of bon bons.

 

Dry: fades to a subtle sweet incense. Disappears in a couple of hours.

 

 

Evokes the color lilac, fluttery silk curtains and dark aged panelling

 

Looking at the notes, i can identify caramel, coconut and tobacco. The black currant must be the fruitiness i detect, and opium would be what I thought was "heady". I havent had enough experience with amber to pick that out. I may update this in a few days, once I have the chance to sample O and possibly The Lion.

 

This was my first LE. While the scent itself is too foody and sweet for me to wear, I'm glad I had a chance to sniff it. It is quite complex and evocative.

[ladymissspyder]

This smells like Mixkatonic University and Grog to me - without the ZOMG OVERPOWERING leather that Mixk U had, and not as sweet as Grog.

 

Some other reviewers have mentioned Elegba, and there's a real strong "family resemblance" there, too. It's the rum. Elegba, however, has a little waft of "hotness" that isn't in this blend. It IS the closest GC scent to Red Lantern that I've tried, though.

 

Anyway, this is sort of how I hoped Misk U would smell. It's smoky and rummy and altogether yummy. The tobacco leaf gives it a nice masculine twist.

[luxuria]

Red Lantern is great. It smelled strongly like buttered caramels in the bottle, which worried me a little, but the sweetness is nowhere near that aggressive when worn. The coconut and the tobacco are the other two strongest notes once worn. The overall impression is that of smoky creaminess, which is pretty much my favorite category of scent put into two words. Not too much of one or the other--this is lovely, and a bit reminiscent of Perversion (my all-time favorite) as well as Elegba.

Edited April 20, 2006 by luxuria